Scripture: Galatians 6:7-9

C.I.: How to Bless Your Children

Last week… - Jacob (Israel) is now an old man. – The time of his death is near. – So he calls all his sons to himself and blesses each son before he dies. – Let us also learn how to bless our children.

•  Jacob's Prophetic Blessings, (Genesis 49:1-12)

•  Introduction, (vs. 1-2)

•  ( vs. 1-2 ), “Then Jacob summoned his sons and said, ‘Assemble yourselves that I may tell you what shall befall you in the days to come. – Gather together and hear, O sons of Jacob; and listen to Israel your father.'”

•  The source of all blessings is God – ( Jms. 1:17 ), “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above , coming down from the Father of lights.”

•  Thus, the blessings we give to others – makes us merely a conduit of His blessings.

•  So, Jacob's blessings (and ours), if they are to be true, will be that which come from God!!!

•  We will note the two-fold nature of these blessings - upon the children of Jacob:

•  First (A) , To tell each son of a personal characteristic which will either commend him to God or condemn him.

•  ILLUST.: If we were driving in the wrong direction – wouldn't we want to know it?!

•  ( Gal. 6:1 ), “If a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual….” –
( Pro. 4:26 ), “Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established.”

•  Second (B) , to demonstrate the truth of our Reading (“we reap what we sow”).

•  ( Jn. 5:28-29 ), “An hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs shall here His voice, and shall come forth; those who did good to a resurrection of life, those who committed evil..

•  The Blessing of Reuben, (vs. 3-4)

•  ( v. 3 ), “Reuben, you are my first-born; my might and the beginning of my strength; preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.”

•  (A) As we saw in our 2 nd lesson – the first-born son receives a double portion of the inheritance. – By all rights he has to excel in honor and authority – over the entire house of Jacob (patriarch).

•  (B) - ( v. 4 ), “Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it – he went up to my couch.”

•  In just 1 small verse, 1 single incident – and Reuben's destiny was determined by his poor choice

•  ( Gen. 35:22 ), “And it came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father's concubine; and Israel heard of it.”

•  Reuben's rebellion against his father – showed him to be incapable of leading the family.

•  (Ex. 20:5 ), “…visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on 3 rd & 4 th generations of those who hate me.”

•  ( Num. 16:1f ), “…sons of Reuben rose up & took action … ‘You have gone far enough...”

•  ( Jdgs. 5:16 ), “…among divisions of R., great searchings of the heart.” But stayed home

•  ( Num. 32:23 ), “…be sure your sin will find you out.” – Ever be watchful against sin!!!

•  ( Rom. 15:4 ), “The things written…” – We need to learn from O.T. lest we become…!

•  The Blessing of Simeon and Levi, (vs. 5-7)

•  (A) - ( v. 5 ), “Simeon and Levi are brothers; their swords are implements of violence….”

•  While all of the men mentioned here are brothers, - these two are “kindred spirits.”

•  ( See Gen. 34 ) - These two brothers murdered all the men in an entire town – when one of the men of that town forced himself upon their sister.

•  They murdered all the men in town – then took all their possessions (women, children, stuff)!

•  (B) - ( v. 7b ), “I will disperse them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.”

•  This literally came to pass – ( Josh. 19:9 ), “So the sons of Simeon received an inheritance in the midst of Judah's inheritance.” – They were always surrounded by their stronger brothers.

•  We never hear of Simeon's land – for they were later absorbed into Judah!

•  (B) - Levi also was not given any large tract of land.

•  Yet they later repented of their sin – and stood with Moses when no one else would.

•  ( Ex. 32:26 ), “Then Moses said, ‘Everyone who is for the Lord, come to me!' – And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.”

•  God then later removed His judgment – and made the people of Levi His priests!

•  They were then given 48 cities throughout all Israel in which to live (i.e., “scatter them” ).

•  The Blessing of Judah, (vs. 8-12)

•  ( vs. 8-9 ), “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down to you. – Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. – He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares rouse him up?”

•  (A) - Although 4 th in line – Judah becomes a leader because he demonstrated leadership qualities

•  Willing to take responsibility for his actions, ( Gen. 43:9 ), “I myself will be surety for him; - you may hold me responsible for him. – If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame before you forever.”

•  Willing to give his life for another – ( Gen. 44:33 ), “…please let your servant [i.e., me, Judah] remain as a slave to my lord instead of the lad, & let the lad go up with his brothers.”

•  ( Jn. 15:13 ), “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

•  (B) - ( v. 10 ), “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.”

•  Variously translated: peace/rest OR, he to whom (i.e., “ he to whom ” the scepter belongs).

•  The ruling scepter remained with Judah (David, Solomon, etc.) – until Jesus did come.

•  Obedience -( v. 10b ), “To Him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” – ( Heb. 5:9 ) .

•  Prosperity - ( v. 11 ), “He washes his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.” – ( Eph. 2:7 ), “…in ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace towards us in Christ Jesus.”

•  Spiritual Health – ( v. 12 ), “His eyes are darker than wine and His teeth are whiter than milk. – ( I Pt. 2:24 ), He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross … for by His wounds you were healed.”

SUMMARY: a. The best blessings we can offer our children is: 1) to warn them re: character weakness &
praise them for the good, 2) to remind them that we reap what we sow!

b. Judah was blessed for his actions – and through him all mankind is be blessed by JESUS!

c. Spiritual wealth & health – are the blessings God bestows upon His children.

d. We become God's children – through the process of Faith & Baptism, ( Gal. 3:26-27).